One of the Living
by Mercedes Aria
Summary: When offered the opprotunity to have a lost comrade restored to them, Picard must make the decision- even if it meansdisregarding Starfleet's Prime Directive. Please R&R! Chapter 8 part 1 is up.
1. Prologue

The usual disclaimer applies. Star Trek: The Next Generation and related material are the property of Paramount Pictures. The song "One of the Living" from the Mad Max soundtrack inspired the title of this piece. Gotta love Mel Gibson's movies.  
  
I don't pretend to have a vast knowledge of the technical aspect of Star Trek; some of the tech stuff may be off though I do try to do my homework on it. If you know about the technical stuff and would like to offer assistance, I'd be very grateful.  
  
This story is set after "All Good Things". As far as I'm concerned the movies were nothing but a series of bad dreams that occurred as a direct result of one too many late night poker games. Aspects of this story may come into conflict with the other series, especially where Q is concerned because I don't follow Deep Space Nine or Voyager.  
  
Please R&R. Updates always come faster with reviews.  
  
Prologue  
  
A perplexed Q found himself standing in the center of a great white stadium that was illuminated by a brilliant light.  
  
The Q Continuum had put him on what the humans would call probation and he had been on his best behavior ever since. He had even forgone a long over- due visit to his "friends" on the Enterprise. Being good and following the rules was so dull that there were many occasions Q thought he was going to die from boredom.  
  
His record had been spotless since his probation had begun which was why he couldn't understand what reason the Continuum could possibly have for bringing him before the Tribunal.  
  
The Continuum took its own sweet time in addressing him, perhaps testing him to see if his patience would hold. Q was indeed becoming edgy, but he held his tongue and only grumbled silently to himself.  
  
"The Tribunal has reviewed your progress." A faceless voice echoed around him.  
  
Q turned in the direction of the voice, irritated that the Tribunal was cloaked in the blinding light.  
  
"And it has been decided that you will be allowed an opportunity to redeem yourself and reclaim your position in the Continuum."  
  
Q merely nodded. He wasn't thrilled by the idea of having to do a grunt job for the Continuum, but if it got him out of confinement, he'd tolerate it.  
  
"There have been disturbances within the space-time continuum," a new voice continued. "They have caused timelines and universes to become unstable."  
  
Q raised his eyebrows with mild interest. He remained quiet.  
  
"The disturbances began in one universe and destabilized it. It became increasingly unstable until it started to unravel. Once the unraveling commenced, the universe parallel to it began to destabilize and the sequence was repeated with each subsequent universe."  
  
"A type of domino effect, then." It was a statement rather than a question. Q directed it to the entire Tribunal.  
  
"Yes," was the reply. "Find the cause of the disturbances and do what you must to restore order."  
  
A smirk tugged at the corner of Q's mouth. It looked like he was going to have some fun after all.  
  
"Of course," he said solemnly. "I will go to whatever extremes necessary."  
  
The Tribunal ignored his comment "You may go now."  
  
Q prepared to leave and raised his hand.  
  
"One more thing," the first voice said.  
  
Q lowered his hand slightly. "Yes?"  
  
"We'll be watching." 


	2. Warped Time

Chapter 1: Warped Time  
  
The last month on the Enterprise had been relatively quite which was what Geordi LaForge had thought he wanted. An escape from their escapades, from saving the galaxy, from intervening in potentially disastrous confrontations between opposing races. But he found that the stability of routine was dull. The Chief Engineer drummed his fingers against his console and sighed. He turned from his station and made his rounds through Engineering. Again. For the fourth time that hour.  
  
Geordi wasn't the only growing restless with the mundane. In her office, Dr. Beverly Crusher stared blankly at her reports. Every once in awhile someone would come in with a laceration or strained muscle, but her staff was fully capable of treating them and the Doctor had little to do.  
  
Beverly pushed her chair away from her desk and looked at the walls of her office. They looked the same as they had ten minutes ago. She stood up abruptly and walked out of the room. She wondered if there was anything even slightly interesting happening on the Bridge.  
  
**************************************************************************** **************  
  
Alternate Timeline: Year- 2368  
  
The Away Team beamed down onto a barren expanse of terrain. The Commander barked orders at his team, telling them to divide into two parties and search different areas for their missing crew.  
  
A young ensign led the second team of three. Without warning, she stopped and turned to the lieutenant to her right.  
  
"Are you able to pick up any readings yet?" Her features were tense and serious.  
  
"Yes, Ensign. I'm picking up energy readings to the south, over those hills." The dark-skinned man pointed to the treacherous-looking mounds of boulders. "Could be the shuttle craft. There's too much interference to know for sure."  
  
The ensign nodded. "Phasers ready," she directed. "Set on stun."  
  
She blew her blond bangs out of her face and headed towards the hills. They were nearly to the foot of the rocks when a radiant burst of light pierced the sky above.  
  
"Get down!" the ensign snapped. As her team took cover, she crouched low to the ground and inched forward.  
  
The light faded and left behind a strange dark spot in the sky that resembled a gaping hole.  
  
The ensign stood up cautiously and squinted at the phenomenon in puzzlement.  
  
Slowly, the rest of her crew joined her.  
  
"How odd," commented one them.  
  
"Yes, it is, isn't?" The ensign tore her gaze away from the oddity and refocused her attention on the mission at hand.  
  
"Let's see what's on the other side of those boulders," she said taking a step forward.  
  
They began to climb with relative ease, but before long the ensign began to have trouble. It was as though her hands went through the mound, making it impossible to get a grip. The higher her crew climbed, the further she slid back down. Pride prevented her from calling out for help. Gritting her teeth indetermination, the ensign gathered her strength and gave herself a forceful shove upward. Her hands failed to latch onto to anything solid and she began to slide at an increasing rate of speed.  
  
The ground did not break her fall for she never hit the ground; she slid through it and was enveloped by darkness.  
  
The lieutenant reached the peak first and glanced over his shoulder in time to see the ensign disappear.  
  
His eyes widened in horror.  
  
"Tasha!"  
  
**************************************************************************** ************  
  
Q was in between timelines at the moment, rather frustrated. He thought that pinpointing the origin of the temporal disturbances would be simple. He was wrong. He wasn't sure which upset him more; the fact that this little project was going to take longer than he thought or the fact that he had been wrong.  
  
A shift within one of the timelines caught his attention and he decided to investigate.  
  
He followed the alteration to the crew quarters of the USS Petty- NCC 2445. He sauntered down the corridor as though he belonged, drawing nothing more than nods of acknowledgement from the crew.  
  
A sandy haired ensign stopped him and smiled.  
  
"Welcome, sir," he said eagerly. "I wasn't aware that we were transporting an admiral."  
  
Q smiled to himself. "I didn't want any fanfare," he said. "I asked that no one be told of my presence."  
  
"Oh." The ensign nodded his understanding. "Of course, Admiral. I won't say anything."  
  
"I would appreciate it." Q turned away from the boy and continued down the corridor.  
  
*Humans* he thought. *Such gullible creature. *  
  
He chuckled to himself as he passed a turbo lift. The doors opened a young girl stumbled out, looking dazed. Q did double take.  
  
"Couldn't be," he muttered. He changed his course to follow the girl.  
  
* If that's who I think it is, * he told himself. *Then I might just have a lead on the cause of the disturbances. * 


	3. Yesterday's Child Adrift

Chapter 2: Yesterday's Child Adrift  
  
Dr. Crusher was on her way to the Bridge when she met Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the corridor.  
  
The Captain didn't seem surprised to see her.  
  
"Ah, Doctor," he greeted her. "I was just on my way to Ten-Forward. Would you care to join me?"  
  
He paused, then added with a smile. "Unless you have urgent matters to attend."  
  
Beverly laughed and shook her head. "Hardly. Though I wish I did. This has been the most monotonous stretch of time I can ever remember."  
  
She fell into step with Picard as they turned a corner.  
  
"It has been a bit too quite," he agreed.  
  
They seemed to have little to say to each other. The turbo lift doors opened with a quiet hiss and two officers stepped inside.  
  
When they reached their destination, they found that they were not the only ones who had decided to stave off boredom in Ten-Forward.  
  
As the Captain maneuvered them through the throng of people, Beverly noticed that Data had a long line of people waiting to play chess with him.  
  
Empty tables were scarce but they managed to find one in a semi-secluded alcove. Conversation seemed to be a struggle; she and Picard had often spent their abundant spare time in the Officer's lounge or in the holodeck talking and now there was nothing new to discuss.  
  
They ended up people watching, but Beverly tired of it quickly. Absently, she watched Guinan carry a tray of drinks over to a crowded table. She focused in on the pale blue fluid contained within tall, slim flutes. She blinked and they were gone but Guinan still held the tray as though they were there.  
  
Beverly frowned and looked again. The glasses were back on the tray. She shook her head and closed her eyes, but the glasses continued to fluctuate.  
  
"Jean-Luc." The Doctor's voice disrupted his thoughts. Picard looked up at her.  
  
"Jean-Luc," she repeated, shaking his arm. "Look at Guinan's tray.  
  
Picard turned in his chair and located Guinan. He saw her preparing to set down a tray of glasses, but found nothing unusual about it.  
  
He was about to question the Doctor when he, too, saw the fluctuations. His face registered a look of mild surprise.  
  
"You saw it, didn't you?" Beverly prodded, leaning across the table. Her eyes shined with hope. Hope that they might have a mini-mystery on their hands.  
  
Picard slowly turned back to her and nodded. "I believe so."  
  
They exchanged perplexed looks. Beverly sat back and half-laughed.  
  
"I'm so bored that I've got you seeing things, too."  
  
"Perhaps," Picard answered inattentively. His mind was already going over possible explanations for the anomaly. He briefly stopped on the possibility that their old nemesis, Q, was back. It HAD been a long time since his last visit.  
  
Beverly ran a hand through her fiery locks and sighed. She wondered if it were possible to get cabin fever on a ship like the Enterprise.  
  
"It could be nothing more than trick of the mind." He offered her a half- smile of reassurance. "However, if it happens again we may need to look into the situation."  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
Alternate Universe: Year- Unknown  
  
Q had yet to make his presence known to the girl he was trailing mainly because he wasn't sure she was who he thought she was. Her obvious confusion at her surroundings was intriguing to him. She acted as though she had been suddenly dropped onto a ship full of strangers. The crewmembers that she passed gave her inquiring glances, but didn't stop to question her.  
  
Q also thought it strange that she didn't appear to be aware of his presence despite the fact that he was practically on her heels.  
  
She stopped unexpectedly and Q nearly barreled into her. Just as suddenly, she turned around. She jumped back from Q, clearly distressed.  
  
"I-I'm sorry, Admiral," she stammered before gaining her composure. "I didn't realize that you were behind me."  
  
Q was disappointed that his presence garnered nothing more than apology. Though it had been a long time, surely she remembered him.  
  
"That's quite alright," he said distractedly as he studied her through narrowed eyes.  
  
Her blonde hair, light on top dark on the bottom, was cropped short. Her gray eyes were widened in bewilderment. He tilted his head thoughtfully. Something wasn't quite right, he determined, other than the fact that she standing before him-alive. But he couldn't quite put his finger on it.  
  
Then it came to him. She was too young. Q frowned slightly as he recalled his early encounters with the Enterprise crew. It had been what- seven or eight years since he had first put the Enterprise crew on trial. He was positive that by now she should be somewhere in her early to late thirties. But this one could barely be older than twenty-one. His eyes caught on her rank pips. Ensign? That, he knew, was wrong. The Enterprise's cheeky former Security Chief was a lieutenant.  
  
"What's your name, Ensign?" he asked gruffly.  
  
She jumped slightly at the sound of his voice.  
  
"Natasha Yar, sir." Her response seemed automated.  
  
That's her, Q thought, rather out. She should remember me.  
  
"On the wrong ship, aren't you, Ensign?"  
  
Her eyes widened a little more.  
  
"How did you know, sir?"  
  
Q softened his stern expression slightly. "You should be on the Enterprise, shouldn't you?" he countered ignoring her question.  
  
The ensign was baffled. "The Enterprise, sir? She's still several years from completion."  
  
Q tucked that piece of information away for later review.  
  
"Where then, should you be?"  
  
"On an Away Team mission. We were on our way to rescue some of our crew whose shuttlecraft had crashed on an inhabited planet, sir. What looked like a large hole in the sky appeared suddenly, then I slid down a hill," she voice caught on the statement, embarrassment colored her words. "And ended up here."  
  
Q's eyes darkened as he began to piece together the information he had collected thus far. The "hole in the sky" she described signaled that the unraveling had begun in her universe. What Q didn't know was why Tasha was the only one affected by it.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Deanna Troi stepped out of a holodeck and started to walk down a corridor, not quite sure where she was going. She had found herself often wandering through halls of the Enterprise recently. Meandering in the corridors had lost its appeal and Deanna stopped at the computer panel.  
  
"Computer," she said resting her palm on the panel. "what's the location of Dr. Crusher?"  
  
"Dr. Crusher is." The voice cut off and didn't finish its statement.  
  
Deanna looked up, then at the panel. She stepped back from it. There was nothing there.  
  
She put her hands on her hips and gave the wall a puzzled look.  
  
"Deanna."  
  
The Counselor barely registered that someone had called her name.  
  
"Deanna?"  
  
She turned slowly with the same look on her face. Commander William Riker put his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Isn't there supposed to be a computer panel here?" She pointed to bare wall.  
  
Riker looked to where she pointing. "Yes." he answered slowly. "Or at least I think its there."  
  
Deanna shook her head. "Maybe I'm wrong," she said slipping her arm through his. "I suppose I can find Beverly on my own."  
  
Riker couldn't resist a final glance at the wall. He stopped walking.  
  
"Deanna?"  
  
The Counselor sensed his uncertainty. "Yes?"  
  
"Is that the panel in question?"  
  
Deanna couldn't believe it. The computer board was right where it was supposed to be. They turned to look at each other in bafflement.  
  
"No," she said firmly, "You are not going crazy. There is something going on."  
  
Riker frowned. "Perhaps we should inform the Captain."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
"What happened, Admiral?" Tasha asked in reference to their sudden transfer to an empty cargo bay. She tried to remain respectful and keep the suspicion out of her voice. She had no idea what to think of this rather peculiar Starfleet Admiral.  
  
Q studied her a moment, then broke into a smile. "Oh, come on now, Tasha. Surely you've not forgotten your dear old friend!"  
  
He waited for her to drop the charade. She didn't.  
  
She shook her head sending her bangs into her face. "Admiral, I-"  
  
"Stop calling me that," Q snapped, miffed that someone might have actually had the nerve to forget him.  
  
Tasha stared at him. "Excuse me?"  
  
"Stop calling me admiral," he huffed folding his arms across his chest. "We both know I'm not even apart of Starfleet, mercifully."  
  
"Then who are you?"  
  
Q snapped his fingers and his Starfleet uniform instantly changed to civilian dress- very expensive civilian dress.  
  
When Tasha realized that she no longer had to kowtow to him, she became bolder, though still thoroughly mystified by her current predicament.  
  
"I don't know who you are, but if you have something to do with my being here-"  
  
"Marvelous!" Q cut her off with a clap of his hands. "There's the Tasha I know! I knew it was you."  
  
Tasha clenched her hands into fists, a spark of defiance in her eyes. Her guard was up, but she was also curious.  
  
"How do you know me?"  
  
"We've met on a few occasions." Q's voice trailed off. "How old are you, Tasha?"  
  
Her eyes narrowed. "Twenty-one. Why?"  
  
Q raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Whose your captain?"  
  
"Captain Michael Gordon. Why?"  
  
"Stop asking why after everything. I'll tell you why when I'm ready." Q leveled his gaze with hers.  
  
"Have you ever been to Vagra II?"  
  
"Where?"  
  
"I'll take that as a no," Q sniffed. " And don't glare at me like that. I have nothing to do with your being here."  
  
It was Tasha's turn to cross her arms. "Then why are you here?" she challenged.  
  
"I'm here-" He stopped. "Listen, even if you really don't remember, you'd better hold your tongue; you don't realize who you're dealing with. I'll tell you everything if and when I choose."  
  
Tasha pressed her lips into a thin line and remain silent.  
  
"That's better," Q turned from her slightly. After a moment he asked, " What year is it?"  
  
Tasha frowned, not understanding his question. "2358." She bit back asking why.  
  
Q didn't respond. He had zeroed in on a computer panel and was on his way to it.  
  
He touched the board. "Computer what year is it?"  
  
The computer crackled to life. "The year is 2373."  
  
Q looked at Tasha, who was disturbed by the computer's answer.  
  
With a semi-smirk and his gaze still locked with Tasha's, he asked,  
  
"Computer, what is the current assignment of Natasha Yar?"  
  
"Lt. Natasha Yar is deceased."  
  
Tasha's jaw dropped in disbelief.  
  
"Computer," Q said again. "Location and cause of death."  
  
"Location of death: Varga III. Cause of death was reported as injuries from head trauma caused by an unknown life form."  
  
Q sauntered back over to the speechless Ensign.  
  
"Ensign, you've fallen into the wrong the timeline. I'm here to help you."  
  
He received no argument from her.  
  
"Don't look so lost," he said more harshly than he had intended. He was feeling something akin to sympathy for her and he didn't like it.  
  
"Anyway you can't stay here without causing in problems in this universe."  
  
He added with much unhappiness. "So you'll have to come with me for now."  
  
Suddenly, the cargo bay was flooded with an intense light. When it faded Q found himself standing once again in white arena before the Tribunal. 


	4. The Holding Place

Chapter 3: The Holding Place  
  
Geordi wandered into Ten-Forward looking for Data. The android was busy putting his opponent into checkmate when the Chief Engineer joined him.  
  
"Hello, Geordi," Data's gold eyes briefly glanced up from the three- dimensional chessboard.  
  
"Hey, Data," Geordi looked at the long line of people waiting to play. "Looks like you're going to be busy for awhile."  
  
Data nodded. "Yes. There are twenty- two people waiting to play for the first time and seventeen who wish to have a rematch."  
  
Geordi let out a low whistle. "Exactly how many games have you played?" he asked taking a seat.  
  
Data's eyes never wavered from the board as he quickly and efficiently set up for the next match.  
  
"Since the Captain allowed me to take the day off I have played fifty-two games." There was a slight pause as Data acknowledged his new opponent with a nod. "I have won all fifty-two games."  
  
An arrogant statement from anyone else, but from Data it was simply fact.  
  
"And you've not gotten bored with it?" Almost immediately, Geordi realized his mistake and braced for a drawn-out lecture from the android.  
  
Data stopped what he was doing completely and turned to give the Engineer his full attention.  
  
"It is not possible for me to become bored, Geordi." He blinked and tilted his head to the side a bit.  
  
"I know, Data, I know." Geordi held his hands up as though to waylay any further explanation. "You've got someone waiting to play chess."  
  
Data shrugged and turned back to his game.  
  
Geordi glance up in time to see Captain Picard and Dr. Crusher leaving together. He wondered how he had missed them when he had first come in. The Captain placed his hand lightly on the Doctor's back as they exited the lounge. Geordi's eyebrows raised slightly at the gesture. The doors slid shut, blocking them from view.  
  
When Geordi looked back at the chessboard, the game was over; Data had won in four moves.  
  
There was a break between games and Data organized the board once again. When he was finished, he scanned the room and his gaze locked onto a curly- headed ensign.  
  
"Excuse me, Geordi," he said pushing his chair back. "I must inform Ensign Swarez that it is his turn to play."  
  
Geordi waved him on. "Take your time."  
  
The multi-level chessboard and its pieces were perfectly set up. Geordi even ventured to guess that each piece was dead center on its square. He chuckled and glanced up at Data who was still talking with the ensign. His gaze fell back on the board.  
  
Geordi frowned and tapped the side of his visor. Only a third of the chess pieces were on the board; the others were nowhere to be seen.  
  
May need to have this thing checked out, he told himself, tapping the visor again.  
  
Data returned to the table ahead of Ensign Swarez. He raised an eyebrow at the expression on his friend's face.  
  
"Is there something wrong, Geordi?"  
  
The Engineer shrugged. "Nothing, except that I could have sworn that you set up the board again."  
  
Data's expression did not change. "That is correct."  
  
Geordi's frown deepened. "Then where are the rest of the pieces?"  
  
Data looked at the board. In an instant, he had gone over every possibility for the disappearance of the pieces.  
  
"Are you certain that none of the pieces were taken?" he questioned Geordi. "Perhaps someone took them as," he searched momentarily for the right word. "A practical joke?"  
  
Geordi shook his head. "I was sitting right here. Only Q could have taken them without me noticing."  
  
A thoughtful look crossed the android's face as he pondered this suggestion, not realizing that Geordi wasn't serious about Q.  
  
"That is a possibility," he said seriously. "It would not be above Q to-"  
  
Data cut his words off and stared at the game board. It was set up just as he had left it.  
  
"That's not possible." Geordi breathed in amazement. "They were gone just a minute ago!"  
  
"The Enterprise has encountered numerous phenomena that have all been explained and proven to be possible," the ever-logical Data reminded him.  
  
The Chief Engineer sighed in exasperation. He knew that Data couldn't be excited by this turn of events, just as he couldn't be bored, but sometimes his lack of emotion was irksome.  
  
"I think Captain Picard should know about this," he said almost to himself.  
  
"Should we not wait to see if this occurs again?" Data queried.  
  
Geordi considered his question for a moment.  
  
"I think he should know now."  
  
*************************************************************************  
  
Q glowered at the hidden Tribunal that had so rudely jerked him back to the Continuum.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?!" An angry voice boomed around him.  
  
Q scowled. "I could ask you the same thing."  
  
"You are over-stepping your boundaries where the human is concerned!" thundered another voice.  
  
"Did you or did you not state to use whatever means necessary to restore order?" Q rejoined, taking a defensive posture.  
  
"We feel that you are too attached to these humans," the word was spoken with contempt, "to be able to sufficiently deal with the situation."  
  
"Attached!?" Q was mortified by the accusation. "Attached to what? A lower- life form that is narrow-minded and feeble? Whose usefulness is barely enough to make it worth anything-"  
  
"Enough!" commanded an authoritative baritone. "You've made your point. What is the purpose of bringing the human female into the Continuum?"  
  
A murmur of protest reverberated through the Tribunal.  
  
"We should not even be acknowledging such a proposal." a voice complained indignantly.  
  
"Silence!" snapped the third voice. He addressed Q. "Your purpose."  
  
"The human is somehow connected to the temporal disturbances. She has slipped into a timeline not her own by unknown means," he explained mildly. He was more amiable now that he was dealing directly with the head of the Tribunal, a Q with the title Shordach, whom he knew well. Shordach had bailed him out of trouble with the Continuum on many occasions.  
  
"With the universes so unstable," he continued, relaxing his stance a bit. "I feel that it is necessary to remove her from the timeline she is in and to place her in a temporary holding cell, lest her current timeline unravel sooner than later."  
  
There was a din of discussion then stillness as Q awaited the verdict.  
  
"Is there a reason why the human cannot be returned to its own universe?" another voice that Q recognized and loathed asked in a condescending tone.  
  
Q had no response nor did he need one; Shordach answered for him. "The human's universe has collapsed; there is nothing to return her to."  
  
This tidbit surprised Q; the collapse occurred much quicker than it should have.  
  
"You cannot bring her here," Shordach went on. "You must find someplace else for her."  
  
Q mulled this over. Mischievousness gleamed in his eyes.  
  
"Will you ensure that my motives and actions from here on out will not be questioned no matter what transpires?"  
  
Chatter arose around him- filled with disapproval and contempt at first then with smug confidence that Shordach would severely limited their peer's powers.  
  
"Whatever must be done," Shordach rumbled. "You will not be questioned."  
  
**************************************************************************** ***  
  
"And just like that, the panel reappeared," said Riker as he concluded his account of the unusual event that he and Counselor Troi had witnessed.  
  
The senior staff of the Enterprise had assembled in the Observation Lounge to discuss the peculiar proceedings of the day.  
  
"Captain," Trio began, her exotic features slightly perturbed. "I believe that we can safely rule out these occurrences as being psychosomatic. The crew is restless, but not to the point of hallucinating."  
  
The nod Picard gave her was barely perceivable. He put his hands together and rested his chin against his fingers.  
  
"Your analysis, Mr. Data."  
  
Data folded his hands in front of him before launching into his speech. "We have experienced similar occurrences in the past. In some cases, dealings of this nature have been on a much larger scale. I have run a comparison on these recent happenings to past ones, and while similarities abound, there is insufficient information to draw an accurate conclusion."  
  
Riker rolled his eyes and Picard grimaced slightly. It would be nice if the android would offer his personal opinions without being prompted, particularly in situations like this.  
  
"Speculate," the Captain prodded.  
  
Data tipped his head to the side. "There are numerous explanations for such a phenomenon, Captain. But I believe that we cannot ignore the possibility of Q's involvement in the matter as Geordi pointed out in Ten-Forward earlier."  
  
Picard's eyebrows raised slightly. He looked at his Chief Engineer.  
  
"Mr. LaForge?"  
  
Geordi held out his palms. "I wasn't serious when I made the statement, Captain. What I meant was, he's the only one I know who could have pulled off a stunt like that with me sitting right there. If Q were behind this, he probably would have shown himself by now. It's not like him not to take credit for his work."  
  
"Valid point, Thank you." Picard sat back and turned a bit in his seat to better see Dr. Crusher. "Your opinion, Doctor?"  
  
Beverly shrugged. "I'm not sure what to think in regards to the fluctuations right now. But I do think we should investigate what's happening further before blaming Q for it."  
  
"You're right of course, Doctor," Picard conceded. He returned his chair to center and looked at his senior staff.  
  
Just as he was about to speak further a light flashed in front of them leaving behind a grinning Q at the end of the table opposite Picard.  
  
"Miss me?" he smirked. 


	5. A Place For The Past

Chapter 4: A Place For The Past  
  
Q's sudden appearance was met by stunned silence much to his disappointment.  
  
"Oh, please," he sighed melodramatically, placing his hand over the communicator on his Starfleet uniform. "Don't tell me that you don't remember me, either!"  
  
"Unfortunately, we remember you all too well, Q," Riker snapped greatly irked to see the entity again. He gave Q a scathing glare. "What do you want?"  
  
"Why do you always assume that I want something?" Q said an injured look on his visage. "Can't I just stop by and say hello to some old friends?"  
  
This earned a snort from Geordi.  
  
Q turned to him. "Ah, Geordi, nice to see you too."  
  
He looked intently at each of them, none too thrilled to see him. His gaze fell on an empty seat and he wrinkled his nose.  
  
"Where's microbrain?" he asked in references to the missing Klingon security chief.  
  
"Lt. Commander Worf has been transferred to Deep Space Nine," Data informed him. He seemed to be the only onen not upset by Q's presense.  
  
Q made a face. "The only place drearier than here," he remarked. "He should make a dull addition to their crew."  
  
"Do you have a purpose for being here?" Dr. Crusher demanded curtly. "You are just here to be a nusiance?"  
  
Q shot her a nasty look. 'Watch yourself, my dear doctor," he warned ominously. "I won't hesitate to turn you into a dog again. And this time there'll be no one to undo it."  
  
Beverly gave him the dirtiest look she muster. She felt as though she was being watched by someone other than Q, and looked up to see her friends staring at her.  
  
"Don't ask," she grimaced, laying her head in hand.  
  
Q sneered wickedly. "Well, now that the Doctor's been appropriately muzzled. Let's get down to business shall we?"  
  
His gaze locked onto Picard's. Up until now the Captain had been silently regarding the entity.  
  
Q snapped his fingers, disappeared, then reappeared moments later reclining in a chair.  
  
"And what about you, mon captaine? Have you missed me?"  
  
Picard leaned forward, hands clasped in front of him, his face an impassive mask. He coolly matched Q's stare.  
  
"What's your purpose here?"  
  
*******************************************************  
  
***Space. Throughout its infinite expanse, each star, each planet, each solar system, each galaxy has its own path along its own orbit- breathtakingly beautiful, coldly defiant, arrogantly daring anyone to tell it that it is out of place.  
  
Life. With each race lie civilizations. Within each civilization lie communities. Within each community lie family units. Each person, individual and distinct, has a place and is an integral part of their world- a cornerstone in the foundation upon which cultures are built. There is a place and purpose for each member of the nation.  
  
Once in a while, however, there happens to be an individual who has no place, no home, and seemingly has no other purpose than to pass through the sieve of Time forever wandering, forever searching for that place to belong. Within the heart of this rare vagabond burns a hope that someone, somewhere, is thinking of them, missing them, waiting to embrace them with open arms and welcome them home.***  
  
Alternate TimeLine: Year- 2368; Location- USS Petty NCC 2445  
  
The cold, stark walls of the unused cargo bay chilled Tasha to the bone. The barren area she stood in the center of lacked warmth and was devoid of life save herself. Or was it entirely lifeless? According to the computer, she did not exist. She was deceased. Dead. Forgotten.  
  
The ensign sighed. How long had she been dead? How did she die? Was it in the line of duty or in some sort of accident? What had she been doing? Was death instantaneous or prolonged? Was she alone when it happened or among friends? Was there a memorial service for her? Did anyone come? Did anyone care? Did her shipmates still think of her or had her memory faded from their minds with the passage of time?  
  
Tasha sat down on an empty storage crate and hugged her knees to her chest. She tried to divert her thoughts from the morbid by focusing, instead on the mysterious Q. She still wanted to know how he knew her, under what circumstance had they met and why. Nothing but questions swam through her head. The thing that she was most hungry to know concerned the Enterprise. Q seemed to have suggested that she had served on the new starship. How had she managed to get assigned to the Enterprise? Though still six years from completion, applications for commission had already begun to bombard Starfleet Command and she had not bothered to apply. Not that she didn't want a place on the Enterprise D. It was rumored that Jean-Luc Picard would be captaining the Federation flagship and she would give anything to have the honor of serving under him.  
  
Tasha glanced around, wishing that Q would come back. Though not particularly fond of him, his company was far better than being alone in a place where she didn't belong, a timeline, as he called it, where she didn't exist. She rested her head against her knees and tried not to let despair overtake her.  
  
*************************************************************  
  
"You were never one for small talk, were you, Jean-Luc?"  
  
The Starfleet captain suppressed a growl. His eyes narrowed to slits as he warily watched Q.  
  
Q propped his feet up on the table and put his hands behind his head. "Tell me, Jean-Luc," he smiled lazily at them all, "have you been noticing any peculiarities on the Enterprise lately?"  
  
"So you are the one behind the fluctuations!" Riker fumed in accusation. His chair had been pushed back from the conference table at angle and his every muscle was tensed as though he was preparing to pounce.  
  
Q gave him a withering look and swiveled from side to side. "Really, Riker," he yawned, "if I were responsible I wouldn't be asking- I'd already know."  
  
The Commander grumbled inaudibly in response.  
  
"If you are not responsible," Picard spoke in a low, even tone. "What then is the cause these anomalies?"  
  
Q swung his feet off the table and leaned forward.  
  
"That's what I'm here to find out."  
  
Picard sat up straight.  
  
"I don't believe you."  
  
Q raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Now, Jean-Luc, really, I have better things to do than to interrupt your dismal existence. I'm only here because of a situation with the space-time continuum."  
  
Picard pursed his lips, deep in thought. He glanced at his senior officers; they were apprehensive of Q's presence, but interested in his tale. Picard covered his mouth with his hand. They had little other choice than to hear him out; there was no other way to get rid of him.  
  
"Go on," he said shortly.  
  
"Thank you for your permission, Captain," Q said sarcastically. He took his time brushing imaginary dust from his shoulders, drawing impatient sighs from the Enterprise crew. Finally, he continued,  
  
"Three of your years ago, a breach within the timelines began unraveling the universes surrounding it."  
  
He looked at them expectantly as though they should instantly understand what he was talking about. He was met with six blank stares.  
  
Much to his chagrin, he found that he was going to have to further explain himself.  
  
"The breach destabilized the timeline in which it occurred. The destabilizing led to the unraveling in that universe ultimately leading to its collapse. Once the unraveling begins in one universe, the next one parallel to it begins to destabilize."  
  
" A domino effect, then," Data offered. His statement was an echo of Q's own statement to the Tribunal and the entity was not pleased.  
  
Q shifted in his chair and gave the android a disdainful glare.  
  
Picard leaned back in his chair amused by the irony of the situation and Q did not take kindly to being laughed at.  
  
"I see," the captain said after a moment, mirth danced in his eyes, "you've come to us for help."  
  
Q stood up rather violently and highly offended.  
  
"Help?" he spat. "Don't flatter yourself, Picard. I don't need your help in repairing the damage that's been done. I simply need to use your precious starship as a holding place for a little stray I came across."  
  
"Why the Enterprise, Q?" Riker demanded hotly. More than anything he wanted the troublesome entity off his ship.  
  
"Because your universe is the most stable of all. It is the primary universe around which the others are centered. She can safely remain here. In any other timeline she would cause the unraveling to occur sooner!"  
  
Q was annoyed beyond words at the ignorance that abounded in the room. They couldn't grasp simple concepts without him having to connect the dots. How could they stand to live like that? Q shuddered inwardly.  
  
"And besides," he sniffed haughtily, "I thought you might enjoy seeing dear Tasha again."  
  
Three things occurred simultaneously the instant after Q stunned them with the mention of their dead comrade's name.  
  
Beverly winced and her face twisted with pain as the memory of her failed attempt to revive the young lieutenant slammed into her with force of a Ferangi freighter.  
  
Picard automatically turned to the Doctor, knowing what images Tasha's name was invoking for her, and, momentarily forgot himself as he reached out to her.  
  
While the others stared with mixed emotions at Q, Geordi for some inexplicable reason looked at the head of the table and saw the Captain's hand covering the distressed Doctor's.  
  
Riker was the first to speak.  
  
"And what purpose will that serve?" he demanded, his voice cracking a bit with sentiment. "Other than another means to torment us with."  
  
Q frowned at him. "I really don't have to explain myself to you, but since you are obviously incapable of comprehending anything without my help, I suppose I'll have to.  
  
"The breach is indirectly related to Tasha," he said. "And somehow she's managed to fall into the wrong timeline. One that is quickly unraveling."  
  
Q saw that Data was about to question him so he quickly added, "I would have returned her to her own timeline, but it has, unfortunately, collapsed."  
  
"You said the breach occurred three years ago," Beverly spoke up, all emotion cleared from her face. "But she's been gone for nearly ten."  
  
"Yes, but the breach occurred between a timeline in which the Enterprise C was still intact and a timeline in which Tasha was still alive."  
  
Q's words trailed off as he brooded for a time. "It should have been this timeline that was affected," he said in retrospect.  
  
Picard looked at him expectantly but said nothing.  
  
"I remember Guinan mentioning an event that had something to do with an alternate timeline," Geordi said, more to himself than to anyone else.  
  
"As do I," Picard murmured. He glance up at Q. "Three years ago, Guinan informed me that of some sort of breach in timelines occured where the Enterprise C entered our reality. She said that Tasha," his voice caught slightly on her name, " was indeed alive. She informed Lt. Yar of her death in our timeline. Tasha supposedly requested that I send her back with the Enterprise C to restore the continuum and to die a more noble death. Guinan, however, is the only one on this ship with memories of such an occurrance."  
  
For the first time, Q was at loss for words. Confusion marred his features then realization lit his eyes.  
  
"Now all the pieces of the puzzle are falling into place," he chuckled as a wicked grin spread across his face. 


	6. Amongst Strangers

Chapter 5: Amongst Strangers  
  
"Yes, yes," Q was saying. "It all makes perfect sense now."  
  
He smiled smugly to himself, forgetting that he had an audience. Only after the tension in the room had risen to a tangible level did he remember that he wasn't alone.  
  
Q's smile faded when he saw the look on the faces of the others in the room.  
  
""Great," he sighed wearily, "I suppose I'll have to spell it out for you, won't I?"  
  
"It would be nice, Q" Troi said, maintaining a civil tone. She glanced at the rest of the crew. "I believe we are still in the dark as to your exact reason for being here."  
  
"Of course, Counselor," Q said in resignation. "I forget how limited you humans are."  
  
Dr. Crusher looked as though she were about to say something less than nice. Q threw her a warning look and raised a finger to her.  
  
"I would keep quiet if I were you, Doctor," he admonished. "Dogs aren't allowed on the bridge, you know."  
  
A rose blush tinted Beverly's porcelain cheeks as she gritted her teeth and steeled her gaze on a point above Troi's head.  
  
"Keep in mind what I've already said and listen carefully, I hate to repeat myself." Q skimmed over each of their faces, before settling his gaze on Picard.  
  
"When the breach in the universes opened up, three timelines converged: this one, Enterprise C's, and another. This current timeline was suspended until the breach was closed. Only Guinan was affected by the rift in the continuum for whatever reason. In the alternate timeline, Tasha was indeed alive and well, as she should have been. Obviously, Guinan knew that in her timeline Tasha was dead and I suppose she thought that it should be that way no matter what universe they were in," Q waved his hand in dismissal, obviously he couldn't care less about her intentions. "Anyway, the problem would have been resolved by sending Enterprise C back without Tasha. The unraveling of the universes began by removing her from a world where she belonged and thrusting her into one where she didn't."  
  
Q seemed quite tickled by the fact that Guinan was inadvertently responsible for the demise of several timelines. Things were turning out far better than he had planned and he could hardly wait to bring this little matter before the Enterprise's bartender.  
  
"There's something I don't understand, Q" Picard frowned. "If Tasha's displacement is what began the unraveling, why would bringing her here stop it."  
  
Q slapped his palms down on the tabletop. "Really, Jean-Luc." Exasperation filled his words, "Your restricted capacity to understand matters of the universe can be rather irritating."  
  
"Not half as irritating as you are," someone mumbled under their breath.  
  
Q shot a spiteful glare in the general direction of the comment.  
  
"Answer me, Q" Picard prodded crossly. He patience with the entity was running dangerously low.  
  
"All right," Q straightened his shoulders and tugged at his sleeve. "No, need to get testy. To begin with, I never said that bringing her here would solve the problem. And as I previously stated, this universe is the crux of the space-time continuum and therefore the most stable. She can stay here without causing any further damage until I'm ready for her. It's not a complex concept."  
  
Riker shifted in his seat and pinned Q with a steely glare. "That doesn't make any sense," he snarled.  
  
"I didn't expect it to make any sense to you," Q retorted superiorly. "In time, you'll understand." He paused a beat then added snidely, "At least I think you will."  
  
The Captain regarded Q with a veiled expression. He tapped a finger against the arm of his chair.  
  
"Why can't she remain with you?" he asked pointedly.  
  
Q sighed dramatically. "Because I've a few errands to run and I don't care to baby-sit."  
  
It was Picard's turn to sigh and he did so in acquiescence. "I don't see that we have a choice in this matter."  
  
Q shook his head arrogantly. "You don't."  
  
The senior staff exchanged apprehensive looks. None knew what to expect from the multiversal prankster.  
  
"There is something you have to know about this Tasha," Q said standing up. "She does not carry the memories of the Tasha you knew. The timeline she is from was one that was developing identical to this one, but with a fifteen year difference. She's only twenty-one and has yet to become this wonderful tin can's Security Chief."  
  
Q shrugged. "Other than that she's the same."  
  
He gave them no chance to think, let alone question him. The familiar flare of light engulfed him and left behind a ghost from their past.  
  
************************************************  
  
It happened without warning or provocation. Tasha lifted her head and found herself in another alien environment. Only this time she was not alone. Six unfamiliar strangers surrounded her. They stared at her with shaken countenances and grief-stricken eyes. Their features were indistinguishable; Tasha's eyes refused to focus. Shapes were blurred; colors bleeded into one another.  
  
Panic latched onto her. She could feel it pulling itself up her spine. The floor beneath her began to whirl. Sanity was ebbing, reality fading. She sought anxiously for something to grab onto. Something blue separated itself from amongst the swirling pool of colors. The color morphed into a uniform as her vision began to clear. A Starfleet uniform no less! Tasha clung to the sight of the familiar costume like a lifeline.  
  
Panic loosened its hold and began to decline. She scanned the others around her. Officers. All of them. Starfleet. But something was still wrong. Her gaze fell to the left and landed on a male officer. She found the rank pips on a collar that was too high. Lieutenant Commander. His face had such a strange pallor to it. A yellowish tint. Pale gold eyes stared at her inquisitively as though trying to decide how to classify her. Panic reestablished its grip. His dark hair was combed back from his face, each strand perfectly in place. Too perfect. It unnerved her. A coldness settled deep within her bones.  
  
Her eyes swept across them. Their faces were all the same. And their eyes stared with such intensity that it felt as though they burned a hole through her. She was caged. Adrenaline surged through her veins; she was prepared to run. Her chest constricted; her breath came in short puffs as tiny pins stabbed her lungs with each inhalation.  
  
Blue. Where was the blue uniform? There.it was still there. Tasha realized for the first time that an actual person inhabited the uniform. A woman with hair that resembled an Eridanian sunburst. Perhaps it was the woman's kind features or the tranquil azure of her uniform that helped to ease her frazzled nerves. Whatever it was caused the girl to plead with stormy gray eyes for the woman to help her. Confusion reared its head when she saw the medical officer's look of unmasked consternation. The Doctor's face had truly turned a whiter shade of pale, making her piercing blue eyes appear to be electrified. But what had caused such a reaction?  
  
What could I have done to make them all react so? Tasha's mind reeled. I don't know any of them? Why do they keep staring at me?!  
  
Once again, she turned wild eyes on them each in turn. For the first time she noticed that one of them wore some sort of visual aid over his eyes.  
  
Starfleet. Starfleet. They're with Starfleet. Starfleet. The words pounded over and over again in her ears. They were. weren't they? The collar of the uniforms was the only significant difference between their attire and hers.  
  
Desperate to make some sort of sense out of the bizarre situation, Tasha once again skimmed over the unfamiliar people before her. This time, she saw a man in a red uniform directly in front of her. His face was devoid of emotion, but like the others, his eyes relayed a pain. A pain, she knew, that was some how related to her. Forcing herself to look at the man's face as a whole and not just zeroing in on his eyes, Tasha's bafflement soared to an insurmountable height. She recognized the man instantly. She didn't have to look at his rank pips to know his position. Captain, undoubtedly. What other rank would Jean-Luc Picard have?  
  
Such a discovery was really too much for the poor girl to handle. The sound of her racing heart became the only sound she could perceive; even her labored breathing could not be heard above its hammering. Though she was sitting on the floor, the room began to swirl about her at dizzying speed until finally everything went dark. 


	7. The Revenant

Chapter 6: The Revenant  
  
"...I found everyone on the Enterprise stuck-up and completely incapable of having anything approaching a good time...with the possible exception of the security chief, Tasha Yar, who I thought had real potential. Unfortunately that potential was never as fully developed as Yar herself. More's the pity."  
  
-Q in I, Q by John DeLancie and Peter David.  
  
__________________________________________________________________  
  
Q's first stop en route to the restoration of the universe was Ten-Forward. He had no real purpose for being there other than to harass the bartender and Picard's good friend, Guinan. No one in the lounge paid much attention to him and he ignored them as he wound his way through the crowd. He easily spotted Guinan returning to her post behind the counter; the large eliptical disc that was her headdress reminded him of the rings of a blue planet he had once spun out of its orbit. He wrinkled his nose; he much preferred the planet to that hideous thing called a hat.  
  
Guinan did not see him at first. She was busy wiping down the bar top in her habitual circular motion. She continued her task and still had yet to look up though she sensed someone in front of her. She finished her task before acknowledging her customer.  
  
"What can I do for-" her words fell off abruptly as she stared in disbelief at the smirking entity before her.  
  
Q grinned and flicked his finger in her direction causing a fine spray of dust to scatter over the area she had just cleaned.  
  
"You missed a spot," he sneered. "Disgusting how filthy the place is. Someone ought to inform management."  
  
Guinan's mouth tightened into a thin line. She bit back a growl.  
  
"What are you doing here, Q?" She spoke quietly and in a neutral tone, though her contempt of him came through in her glare.  
  
"I thought I'd drop by and say hello," he chirped, unperturbed by her arctic stare. He made a circle in the dust with his fingertip, an "I-know- something-you-don't-know" grin stretched across his features.  
  
"Hello," she ground out. "Now that that's out of the way, would you care to bother someone else?"  
  
Q contemplated the suggestion. "No," he said finally, "I'm quite sure I wouldn't."  
  
He waited for her to respond, but she didn't. It tickled him to see that his mere presence could so aggitate her. His grin diminshed slightly after he thought about it. It was too simple to annoy her. *Party-pooper* he thought a bit miffed. *she takes the fun out of everything.*  
  
"So," he said deciding to cut to the chase. "I hear that Lt. Woof is no longer with us. Pity."  
  
He paused for dramatic effect. "I wonder who the new security chief will be?"  
  
"I don't know," Guinan replied warily. She knew there was a reason for Q's sudden appearance; he didn't just "drop by". Did his visit have something to do with Worf? Knowing Q, it could have something to do with anything and everything.  
  
"I was thinking about this matter," Q said as though he were really concerned with the status of the Enterprise's vacant position. "And I decided that I had the perfect person for the job."  
  
She frowned and narrowed her eyes. Where exactly was he going with this?  
  
"Really?" she said coldly, masking mild curiosity with indifference. "And who might that be?"  
  
"Oh, this spunky little Turkana IV native I know," he shrugged flippantly while watching carefully for her reaction. "Tasha Yar."  
  
Guinan dropped her towel.  
  
"What did you say?"  
  
____________________________________________________________________  
  
Picard was the first one to her side, However since she was already seated he failed to make it to her in time to prevent her head from hitting the floor. He felt an odd sense of dissassociation as he cradled the young officer's limp body in his arms. He simply could not accept Q's claim of this girl being Tasha. His mind would not consider such a possiblitly; he had watched Tasha -the real Tasha- die on the biobed all those years ago. Q had some outrageous reason for this rather cruel joke, though he had no clue as to what that reason might be.  
  
Beverly was the next of the frozen crew to move. Her doctor's instincts had taken over her shocked mental state and she ran a tricorder scan over "Tasha" in an automated fashion that made Data's movements seem more human than hers.  
  
"She's only fainted," Dr. Crusher pronounced in an emotionless voice. "Probably from senory overload. She'll be fine, but I'd like to get her to Sickbay."  
  
Picard said nothing as he began to pick the girl up. She stirred at the movement and Beverly put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from moving her further.  
  
Dark lashes fluttered against pale cheeks as the girl struggled to open her eyes. Picard was not aware that he had stopped breathing as he glanced at the redhead next to him. Beverly ran another scan over the patient, but she wasn't paying any attention to the tricorder's readings. It was apparent that the girl wasn't going to be able to break through the blanket of unconsciousness that covered her. Beverly rose slowly and motioned for Jean-Luc to follow her.  
  
The captain lifted Tasha with ease and fell in behind Beverly as she lead the way to Sickbay. They avoided going onto bridge for obvious reasons and their departure did not seem to affect those they left behind. Using the transporter would have taken them to their destination instantly, but the doctor was concerned that it would have an unforseen, possibly dangerous effect on "Tasha".  
  
When the doors of Sickbay were shut firmly behind them and the girl was settled on the biobed, Dr. Crusher found herself unable to proceed further. She instructed Nurse Ogawa to run several tests on their patient, including a DNA test.  
  
"How long before we have the results?" Picard inquired grimly as Beverly turned back to him.  
  
She cast him a weary glance. "A few minutes or so," she shrugged.  
  
"What could Q possibly achieve with this farce?" Picard wonder aloud, talking more to himself than to the Doctor.  
  
Beverly pursed her lips into a thin line and shook her head. She could hear the frustration in Picard's voice and empathized with him. She stared at the comm badge on Picard's chest, lost in her own thoughts, as it wavered briefly before vanishing. Beverly let out an exasperated breath and paced the floor.  
  
"LaForge to Captian Picard."  
  
"Picard here," the Captain answered automatically touching his communicator. Beverly had stopped her pacing and was watching as he realized that his comm badge was missing. He looked to the Doctor with a frown.  
  
Beverly tapped her comm badge. "Crusher to LaForge."  
  
"LaForge here," Geordi answered with a hint of confusion in his voice.  
  
"What is it that you wanted to tell the Captain? We're having a slight problem with the communicators."  
  
"We're having problems, too, Doctor. Only ours are major."  
  
Picard gave his uniform a tug and stood closer Beverly. She took off her badge and gave it to him. He accepted it with a bemused half-smile.  
  
"Report, Lieutenant."  
  
"Just after you and Dr. Crusher left, we recieved a transmission from Starfleet Command but Admiral Chevez literally disappeared."  
  
"So this phenomenon is not restricted to the Enterprise apparently."  
  
"That would seem to be the case, sir. When he did, um, reappear, he was saying something about ships across the sector being reported missing."  
  
"How does this effect us, Lieutenant?"  
  
"It doesn't, sir, not directly. The Admiral wanted to know if we had heard anything about these disappearances. Commander Riker thought that you should be aware of the situation."  
  
"Thank you, Lieutenant. Keep me informed. Picard out."  
  
"Doctor," Ogawa appeared around the corner of Beverly's office. "Here are the results of the tests you requested."  
  
"Thank you, Alyssa." Beverly took the PADD. Her eyes widened in disbelief, then narrowed in suspicion. She thumped the PADD against the palm of her hand as though it might somehow change the readout, which stubbornly held fast to its results.  
  
"Doctor..." Picard did little to keep the impatience out of his voice. "Have you come to a conclusion?"  
  
Beverly looked up at him distractedly. She pinched her brow together, rereading the data before answering.  
  
"No," she said finally. "But according to the test results, this is Natasha Yar. Our Tasha."  
  
Picard was baffled for he had been certain that the results would be negative, revealing Q's trick.  
  
"Is it possible that the readings are incorrect?"  
  
The doctor shook her head. "It's highly unlikely. I can run some diagnostic scans and a few other tests. But I doubt that they will yeild anything different."  
  
Picard was still searching for another explaination.  
  
"This could not be...our Tasha," he mused aloud. "Q himself said that she is only twenty-one. Even if Tasha was still living, she would be in her late thirties now."  
  
"I wish I could provide a better explantion, Jean-Luc," the redhead sighed. "But I don't understand any of this. I need some time to investigate further."  
  
"Yes, of couse," Picard gave her a tight smile. "I know you'll do whatever you can."  
  
"I can contact Starfleet Medical and have them send me Tasha's files from the Academy. She would have had to complete a full physical when she was twenty-one. I can run a comparision analysis with that."  
  
Picard nodded. "At least it's a start. In the meantime, I believe it would be best to determine how widespread this phenomenon is in the Federation. The moment you find something, however trivial, let me know."  
  
Beverly nodded.  
  
With a tug of his uniform, the captain turned to leave. He hesitated at the door and turned back to the doctor.  
  
"Beverly," he said as though he was unsure of how to phrase what he was thinking. "If this," he motioned to the biobed, "gets to be too much..."  
  
Beverly cut him off with a wave of her hand. "I appreciate your concern, Jean-Luc, but I'll be fine."  
  
Picard nodded curtly. "Of course."  
  
He turned on his heel and left SickBay at quick march.  
  
___________________________________________________________________  
  
Taunting Guinan was not as entertaining as Q thought it was going to be.  
  
"What did you say?" the barkeeper repeated with heated intensity.  
  
"You heard me the first time," he said, blowing a puff of air at the dust on the counter which sent it swirling into the atmosphere.  
  
"You are not funny."  
  
Ignoring her death glare, Q wrinkled his nose in contempt. "Nor am I trying to be. I simply know that dear Tasha would be the perfect candidate for the job, don't you think?"  
  
Guinan returned to her dusting with a vengence, showing no mercy to the unnatural particles.  
  
"No, I don't," she retorted sharply.  
  
Q allowed himself a moment to revel in the triumphant of ruffling Guinan's feathers a bit.  
  
"Why ever not?" He seated himself on the bar's counter top to the further annoyance of its keeper.  
  
Guinan had no intention of indulging the entity for a second, but curiosity eventually got the better of her. Q must have a purpose for bringing up the late security chief who had died before Guinan came aboard the Enterprise.  
  
"Because she's dead," she snapped, taking the bait. She leveled her gaze with Q's. "And you know it."  
  
Q feigned injury ar her ignorance and covered his heart (if he had one) with his hand. "I know no such thing." A wicked little grin oozed over his features. "What I do know is that dear, sweet Tasha is very, very much alive."  
  
He slid off the bar and faced her. He leaned over the counter until they were nose to nose. The poisonous smile increased in its deadliness. "You remember her, don't you? The crew of Enterprise C was on board...Tasha was alive...you knew something was wrong...something amiss...but you didn't know what...so you told Picard to send them back...and that would have been the right thing to do..." His voice was low and sounded like glass sliding over ice- cool and smooth. "But you had to talk to her...you had to tell her that she wasn't suppose to be here...that she was supposed to be dead...Poor Tasha...she believed that the tear in the space-time continuum was her fault...noblely she went with Enterprise C....and died...."  
  
Q paused for a nano-second. "Oh, but that's right, you claim that she died before you came aboard and so you couldn't possibly remember her. You've only heard the crew talk about her." The look in his eyes was that of a Klingon going in for the kill. "Armus didn't kill Tasha...The Romulans didn't kill Tasha...You killed Tasha, self-righteous Guinan. And by doing that you've killed the entire universe...."  
  
The seeds of doubt had been planted and sufficiently watered. Q gave her an evil wink and disappeared folded in blinding illumination.  
  
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Well, I did it. I finally updated. Please, if you like this story let me know. I will get chapters up faster with encouragement and if there is an interest. Let me know your thoughts- they are important!:) 


	8. Reviving the Past: Pars 1

Chapter 8: Reviving the Past- Pars 1  
  
Starfleet Medical apparently had yet to suffer from the fluctuations the rest of the Federation was experiencing and promptly complied with Dr. Crusher's request for Tasha's medical records.  
  
Beverly compared and studied the genetic samples of "their" Tasha to that of Q's Tasha from every concievable angle. All results pointed glaringly to the same conclusion: the samples were from the same person.  
  
Another possiblity crossed Beverly's mind. She quickly pulled up autopsy files on Yar. For nearly an hour, she studied the differences between the three samplings. The third DNA sample from the older woman differed from the first two as expected due to the normal aging process.  
  
The doctor leaned forward with her elbows on her desk and cupped her chin in her hands. Since science failed to explain the how identity of the girl lying unconscious on the biobed could be that of a deceased friend, Beverly turned to intuitive reasoning.  
  
Was it possible, she wondered, that Q could have engineered a replicant so perfect that one could not distinguish them from the real deal?  
  
Beverly frowned. She thought over all their encounters with Q over years and what they had seen of his power. It was, of course, within the power of the Q to pluck a person from one reality and put them in another. On the other hand, Tasha could have "fallen" into a parallel universe, as Q claimed she had when he found her. Experience with alternate timelines and universes told the doctor that the latter was more than possible. That, oddly enough, was more disturbing than most anything that Q could do.  
  
A strangled cry from the next room jarred Beverly from her thoughts. She leaped from her chair and dashed into the main area of Sickbay.  
  
Tasha's limbs jerked erratically and her body twitched violently. She moaned and muttered as her face contorted into expressions of pain, fear, terror, and anguish.  
  
Deeply concerned about the girl's reaction, Beverly rushed to her side. The monitor that was keeping track of Tasha's vitals showed that her blood pressure was rising, and that her heart rate and respiration were rapid and irregular. Epinephrine was shooting through her system. However, despite these increases she was only experiencing normal REM functions, except for the flailing. During this stage of sleep her limbs should have been immobilized. Instantly, the vitals spiked again, this time showing an impossibly quick ascent into stage four sleep. Beads of sweat formed on the girl's temples and upper lip, pouring down her face like rain. Her eyes snapped open, filled with terror; her mouth opened in a silent scream. After several seconds, Tasha's body relaxed though she kept murmurring inaudibly, still trapped in some horrific nightmare.  
  
Beverly released a tension-filled sigh as the girl's biorhythm's returned to normal and she descend back into REM sleep. However, the doctor was worried about the cause of such a violent sleep terror and even more concerned that it had not woken the sleeper up.  
  
Dr. Crusher watched the moniter a moment longer. She considered stationing a nurse to keep vigil over Tasha, then decided to do it herself.  
  
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Q was in no hurry to remedy the problem with the collapsing timelines, though he probly should have been. He knew that in Tasha he had the anitdote for the ailing multiverses and finding the right spot to administer the treatment would be a snap. So he took a little diversion to a small, non-Federation planet twelve light years away from the Enterprise.  
  
Actually, there wasn't much there; the planet was little more than a rock orbiting a dying sun. And it suited Q just fine; he wanted to plan his next moves without distraction.  
  
There were several avenues of opprotunity to pursue and Q wasn't quite sure which one would be most amusing. He most certainly was going to manipulate Guinan in any way possible, of that he was sure. A surge of delivish mischievousness welled up in him and he chuckled aloud.  
  
Q stood up and stretched. As he strolled about the dismally gray terrain, he wondered how the Enterprise crew was handling Yar's abrupt reappereance. The fate of the universes could hang in the balance for awhile longer he decided. With a flick out his wrist, he vanished, leaving nothing but a swirling tornado of dust.  
  
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Gathered around a small table in a secluded area of Ten-Forward, Troi, Riker, and LaForge were engaged in quite conversation. From her place, behind the bar Guinan observed them, having repressed the memory of her recent encounter with Q for the time being.  
  
Her interest in the members of the senior staff who were sitting alone was piqued by their perturbed countenances. Commander Riker and Geordi appeared to be in a state of shock as though something traumatic had just occurred. Deanna looked positively distressed to the point of breakdown. They sat there in silence for several minutes, before Riker reached over and cupped his hand under Deanna's elbow. Geordi asked her something, to which she immediately responded. Troi's face cleared and she sat up straighter, clasping her hands in front of her.  
  
Time passed and Guinan decided to check on them by asking if they wanted anything. As she walked slowly over to them, Q's words reverberated in her head.  
  
They didn't see her approach. As she got closer she could hear bits of their conversation.  
  
"....no illusion, Will," Deanna was saying. "She is real. Somehow it is her."  
  
"This is just too bizarre," Geordi shook his head. "And it makes no sense. Why bring her of all people back? What's he doing?"  
  
There was a pause. There were no answers to the questions any of them had.  
  
"How can you be so sure, Deanna?" Will prodded, his voice heated and his gaze intense. "How do you know that what you were sensing wasn't one of his tricks?"  
  
Deanna returned his gaze with equal intensity.  
  
"I don't," she admitted and pressed her lips into a thin, pink line. After a beat she added with conviction. "I just don't believe that this is an illusion. Q has always been honest, if nothing else, in the past."  
  
Riker gave a snort of contempt.  
  
"It's true, Will," Deanna's gaze flitted from Riker to Geordi and back again. "There is no reason to believe that he is not being honest now."  
  
"So you think Q's decided to what?" Geordi leaned forward on his elbows. "Bestow an act of kindness on us by restoring Tasha to us?"  
  
Deanna shook her head. Her brow knit tightly together in concentration and a frown marred her features. "No. Q said her being here had something to do with an imbalance in the timelines. I assume that he will not leave her here once he has completed his task."  
  
The trio fell silent, each lost in his own thoughts. Guinan returned to the bar without asking them if they intend to order anything. She was greatly perturbed by their conversation. Even with all her experience with Q and other phenomenon, it was difficult for her to grasp that somehow, some way, for some reason Tasha Yar was onboard the Enterprise.  
  
Perhaps, Guinan decided, it was time to confer with Captain Picard. _______________________________________________________________________  
  
Q watched the conversation between Troi, Riker, and LaForge and Guinan's reaction to it from a cozy spot on the ceiling on Ten-Forward. The three officers remained sitting in silence long after the bartender left. Q yawned and propped his head up with his hand. Finally, when the trio showed no further signs of life, he decided to check in on someone a bit more lively.  
  
He was disappointed that Beverly Crusher was do nothing but sitting by the biobed watching Tasha. Every minute or so, she glanced at the girl's vitals that remained consistently unchanged.  
  
Q materalized behind her and continued to observe her. Unable to resist the impulse to toy with her, he sauntered up to her, reading the monitor read-out over her shoulder.  
  
"Well, Doctor!?" he snapped suddenly. "What's the prognosis?"  
  
Beverly jumped involuntarily. When she saw that it was Q, she glared at him sharply. "I don't have one yet." It was obvious that she wanted him to leaver her alone and she turned her back to him.  
  
Q sighed and looked to the ceiling. "What can I do?" He asked himself aloud. "I give them this marvelous opprotunity to change the past, but they're so slow-witted that the chance will die before they can react."  
  
"Then YOU do something!" Beverly spat angrily at him, jumping up from her seat. She turned on him angrily.  
  
"Oh, no I couldn't," Q said, waving his hands in front of him.. "It simply wouldn't be ethical."  
  
"Fine time to worry about ethics," Beverly retorted and went back to Tasha.  
  
"Oh, come on, Beverly," he said capriciously. "You know me- I wouldn't want to violate your precious Prime Directive and interfer with an inferior, less civilized species. I might inadvertantly impede your developement. And we wouldn't want that, now would we?"  
  
Beverly sighed and rubbed her tired eyes. "If the universes are in such a dire state, shouldn't you be out fixing them?"  
  
"What an impatient race you humans are!" he cried disdainfully. "Everything always has to be done instaneously. How you ever managed not to kill yourselves off in your hurry, I'll never know!"  
  
Beverly growled something inaudible.  
  
Q grinned. "What was that, Doctor? Tsk. Tsk. Such language isn't very becoming for a lady."  
  
Dr. Crusher was about to retort when the monitor beeped. She quickly forgot about Q and turned to Tasha.  
  
Q stayed only long enough to see Beverly's face when Tasha opened her eyes. ______________________________________________________________________  
  
Note: I apologize if this is not up to par with previous chapter and if people are out of character; I surely hope not. I wanted to get this chapter finished, but I'm so tired that it may seemed rushed. If it does, let me know, and I work on fixing it. :) 


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